The Delicate Creature Among Us

How special the fruit fly is! How wondrous a thing it is that it comes into being because of our actions! – do we not then have a responsibility to care for it? Just as a newborn child clings to its mother, the fruit fly is reluctant to part from us

Do you ever find yourself in situations where things aren’t going as planned? Or maybe something is irritating you to such an extent that you find it hard to see any good in the situation? For instances like these, it’s healthy to lighten up a bit and look at things from a different, more positive outlook. It may be difficult at first, but with practice, you can get the hang of changing your viewpoint on things – even when, as the example below shows, it comes to things that people find to be extremely annoying!

Born amidst the sweet, luscious fruits of the season – from the crisp red apples, the rich firm strawberries, the smooth juicy plums – arises a most delicate being. From among the flying creatures flitting around in the fresh air, this exquisitely small one adds to the beauty of the scene. Despite its delicacy, a great power emanates from it, demanding the attention of those whose abode has been graced by its presence.

The minute fruit fly has been a companion of humans for timeless periods. Wherever we choose to leave the remains of our sustenance, a new clan of fruit flies is born. How special the fruit fly is! How wondrous a thing it is that it comes into being because of our actions! – do we not then have a responsibility to care for it? Just as a newborn child clings to its mother, the fruit fly is reluctant to part from us; it prefers to stay near its birthplace, near the ones whom it has known from first breath. If we cannot indulge in the one for whom we had brought about the circumstances for existence, are we truly worthy of being called “humans – the best of all creations”? The fruit fly needs barely anything of value to survive; not wishing to impose upon us and thus earn our displeasure – so as not to decrease our own rations – it lives off of what we discard as worthless. How considerate then, is this tiny winged creature!

This living being with its delicate wings moves about in complete silence, its quietness a key to not disturbing us. Yet this fruit fly is not just a small hushed living being; rather, it has hidden admirable qualities as well. Its speed is one such quality that is most surprising when displayed: its reflexive speedy reaction, but when a shadow nears, it allows it to retreat to a more secluded place where it would not cause annoyance to any others. Such a considerate thing it is, that even its skills of swiftness are used in coordination with our comfort!

Above all, the magnificence of its slight physique is such that – despite being as fragile as it is – the fruit fly is able to survive the hardships it is faced with during its short lifespan. It lives for only a mere week if that long, but the fruit fly makes the most of its energy and abilities during that time. Its thin wings are in a constant flutter, holding it at amazing heights as it surveys the scene for a path of flight least bothersome to us. Its legs – so strong, in contrast to its appearance – always keep the fruit fly standing and at the ready to move out of our way at but a moment’s notice. Indeed, the fruit fly is structured to live efficiently – albeit briefly – in harmony under the same vast roof as we.

The thoughtful fruit fly: small, delicate, yet full of life! This blameless being – brought into existence solely because of the circumstances we bring about – needs but a few specks of our castaways to live off of; the ethereal winged insect quietly darts from place to place, gleaning what little joy out of life that it can before its untimely demise. Thus how can we even contemplate the merciless act of crushing its tiny bones, violently swatting the life out of its once-gently-beating wings?